BWF World Championships: Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly shock 7th seeds, one win away from medal

BWF World Championships: India's Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly shocked the 7th seed Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in their Round of 16 clash on Thursday, August 20. They are now one win away from a medal at the World Championships.

In Short

• Treesa and Gayatri beat Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-12
• Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reach the quarter-final of BWF World Championships 2026
• Treesa was the star of the show and rattled Japanese 7th seeds with her smashes

The big-hitting Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand stormed into the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships, moving within one win of a historic medal. The Indian women's doubles duo caused a major upset in the tournament on Thursday, August 20, beating the 7th seeds, Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, 21-16, 21-12 in the Round of 16.

Treesa and Gayatri, ranked 39th in the world, have been in exceptional form throughout the tournament. That confidence showed once again at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, as they knocked out the 7th seeds in straight games. A win in the quarter-finals would take the Indian duo into the semi-finals and assure them of a medal at the World Championships.

“It (the chance of winning a medal) will be in our mind. But, we need to be in the present. We need to enjoy this win and think about the next match,” Treesa said after shocking the bronze medallists from the 2025 edition.

They will take on World No. 4 Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China in the semifinal. Gayatri and Treesa have never beaten the Chinese pair, losing all three of their meetings so far. If they win on Friday, Gayatri and Treesa will become only the second Indian women's doubles pair to win a medal at the World Championships after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2011.

Three years ago, Treesa and Gayatri played Rin and Kie and lost to them. But on Wednesday, the Indian duo was at its aggressive best, refusing to give the Japanese shuttlers an inch.

Treesa’s exceptional jump-smashes were key to the win once again, with the Indians dominating the contest. Gayatri was setting things up from the forecourt, allowing Treesa to overwhelm the Japanese pair with her powerful smashes.

ROTATIONS COME ALIVE

In a great sign of maturity, the rotations between Gayatri and Treesa added an element of unpredictability that has made them even more dangerous in recent months.

While Treesa did not shy away from lunging towards the net and staying there, Gayatri was able to control the game from the backcourt. She did make a couple of unforced errors towards the end, when things heated up amid line calls and warnings from the chair umpire, but the Indian duo held its composure to sail through. Treesa’s ability to play deft drops, complementing her power game, worked wonderfully well.

“I think in our combination, mostly she is at the back, but yeah, we have been working on both. I have been playing in the back court and she’s been doing really well at the front court, so that works well,” Treesa said.

It turned out to be a slightly ill-tempered contest, with Treesa and Gayatri growing increasingly frustrated with the chair umpire. First, their protests over contentious line calls fell on deaf ears, before Treesa was shown a yellow card by the umpire for abusing the shuttle.

The matter did not end there. Treesa continued to argue with the match referee and was eventually asked by Pullela Gopichand, from the coaching box, to return to her coach.

Gayatri said it was good to have a calm head like her father’s in the corner, helping them settle their nerves.

“He just told us to stay calm, focus on attack, and a lot of things actually. I think we were just... like, the nerves were up there, so he just wanted us to be calm,” she said.

From there on, it was relentless screaming from Treesa after each of her smashes, which left the Japanese duo rattled. The Indira Gandhi Stadium came alive as well, rallying behind the Indian duo and making life difficult for their overseas opponents.

A SENSATIONAL RETURN FROM TREESA/GOPICHAND

It has been a remarkable show from Gayatri and Treesa, considering how an injury to the latter ruled them out of action for three months. They returned to action and won the Philippines International in August, opting for a lower-rung event to ease back into rhythm.

While there have been no fitness concerns, Gayatri and Treesa have shown form that reminds the world of their time in the top 10 last year. The rotations, especially with Treesa handling the forecourt, were magnificent. The big-hitting Treesa was using deft drops and pushes to rattle the Japanese pair, who were taken aback by the element of unpredictability that the Indians were able to conjure.

INDIA 'S TRICKY DAY OUT IN BWF WORLDS

August 20 was expected to be a tricky day for the Indian players, who are playing higher-ranked opponents throughout the day. Treesa and Gayatri's win would provide the Indian players with a massive confidence boost, considering the fact that the Indian duo were not even considered to have a chance against the 7th seeds.

Ayush Shetty, PV Sindhu, Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty play for India throughout the day, and they would hope to continue the sensational start provided by Treesa and Gayatri on Thursday.

- Ends